Ch. 6: Six Months Later (Cal's POV)
Cal could hardly believe that six months have now passed since the sinking. These six months have been such a dark and lonely time for him. Losing Rose had hit him hard… his grief and anger still struck him almost every day. He was no longer the confident and arrogant man that he had been on Titanic.
Cal seemed to wallow in his depression, and his parents were getting concerned. Cal hardly attended social functions now; he would only make a few appearances and then quickly return home to his dark bedroom.
Nathan managed to get the insurance matter of the loss of the Heart of Ocean taken cared of under the matters of absolute secrecy. The wedding had been quickly cancelled, and Nathan was able to get some reimbursements. Nathan wished that he could use his wealth to help Cal with his depression, but it was high time for his son to reenter the world. Caledon just needed a firm push in the right direction.
Cal had just returned from a long day at the mill. He was so tired, and just wanted to retreat to his bedroom. Unfortunately his father was waiting for him.
Nathan said, "Caledon, we need to have a talk." Cal sighed and said, "What do you want Father?"
Nathan said, "Cal, I'm rather worried about you. You've been wallowing in this depression ever since Rose's death. You hardly participate in the board meetings, and no longer attend social functions. This isn't healthy, son."
Cal said, "Father…I lost the love of my life. So forgive me that I can't pretend that I'm the great Caledon Hockley anymore."
Nathan said, "It's high time for you to re-enter society Cal. You have responsibilities. You can't continue to mourn Rose like this."
Cal angrily said, "Then disinherit me then. I don't give a damn." Nathan sternly said, "Cal…I did not raise you to speak that way to me. Rose would not want you suffering over her like this."
Cal said, "She probably wouldn't care. I didn't tell you everything that happened on that ship." Nathan sighed, "What did happen on that ship, Cal? Talk to me…you need to let it out."
Cal sighed and gave his father a look. Cal wasn't sure if he should tell his father the whole story, but the man had a point. Cal couldn't continue to live like this…the grief and anger was slowly destroying him. He knew his father would be angry with him, but he sat him down and began his story.
Cal began that Titanic was supposed to be an ordinary trip home. Rose had been rather melancholy, but he figured she would cheer up once they returned home. They were supposed to be celebrating their engagement gala the next week; and then their wedding in May. Even though they had nothing but the best on Titanic, Rose was still unhappy. That it was on the second night of the voyage, everything changed when Rose had that accident and met Jack Dawson. A hatred burned in Cal; he couldn't help but hate Jack for stealing Rose's love from him.
Once Cal finished, Nathan was shocked hearing the story! Nathan was surprised hearing how quickly Rose had fallen for a young, penniless artist. Rose was going to marry into one of wealthiest families in Pennsylvania, and just decided to give everything up because she fell in love with a charming third-class man! The way Cal portrayed Jack…this man was nothing but a good-looking drifter who managed to steal his son's fiancé!
Nathan said in disbelief, "So this is why those rumors of Rose leaving you affected you so much; she really did leave you for another man! I cannot believe that Rose fell in love with a lowly artist! She was a proper lady…about to marry you! What did this Jack have that you didn't?"
Cal said, "That's what I ask myself every day! I blame myself for allowing that little gutter rat to steal her from right under my nose! I blame myself for not listening to Rose; I should have paid more attention to her. I think Jack won her heart by becoming her friend first."
Nathan said, "Cal, you know that marriages in our world aren't based on love. Oh, they can turn to love, but they are mostly arranged. You know Rose was only marrying you to help her mother's debts. How do you expect to keep control of our company if you cannot even manage to control a wife?"
Cal said, "I think that is what drove Rose away from me! I did try to control her, and it seriously backfired! I tried to keep them apart, and it drove her straight into his arms! Worst of all, my jealously turned me into such an unimaginable bastard…I destroyed any love that Rose had for me!"
Nathan said, "Does anyone know what happened between you, Rose, and this Jack? This would be an embarrassment to our family and would kill any chances of you finding a respectable wife in the future!"
Cal darkly chuckled and said, "You would think of that. Ruth knows what happened, but she won't talk to save herself the embarrassment and she knows I'll take away her allowance if she does. Lovejoy knew, and is dead! Jack and Rose are dead…the only one left that knows the whole story is me. Don't worry Father…no one will know this story. No one will know what I did that night; that I wasn't the perfect gentleman."
Nathan said, "Cal, no one is perfect. You had your heart broken by the woman you loved. A woman who wasn't faithful to you and never loved you."
Cal said, "Knowing that only makes it worse. I knew from the start that Rose never loved me! But I stupidly fell head over heels in love with her… I tried everything to make her love me. Jack claimed her heart in only 3 days! In the end she hated me. I guess what they say is true…love can't be bought. It has to be earned. I had to learn it the hard way."
Talking about what happened caused Cal to have a flood of different emotions, but he did feel like an enormous weight had been lifted. His father could have been more understanding, but at least he listened. Now that he spoke about what happened on Titanic, he could try to move on with his life.